


Better Luck Next Time

by Eottoghe



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Cutesy, Fluff, Idiots, Jealousy, Lovey-Dovey, M/M, don't know how to handle actual relationship problems because they're still new to them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:45:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12234063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eottoghe/pseuds/Eottoghe
Summary: Jeonghan and Jihoon have been clingy with each other.Seungcheol and Soonyoung are quite jealous.How do you go about getting your own boyfriend back without starting unnecessary drama?By turning the tables and making them the jealous ones of course.What could possibly go wrong?





	Better Luck Next Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [VeryUbeJam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryUbeJam/gifts).



> Hallooo! How are ya?
> 
> This prompt came from the wonderful, amazing VeryUbeJam. I'm sure you follow her on Twitter and Instagram and Tumblr and all the other sites she graces us with and if you haven't, I highly recommend it!  
> She's been encouraging me to write and sparking my creativity to try and add to the Seventeen fandom so this is for her! I hope I do her prompt justice!
> 
> Prompt: http://veryubejam.tumblr.com/post/163079818518/an-au-where-coups-and-hosh-are-both-jealous-and

“Cheol, let goooo. You’re all sweaty.” Jeonghan whined and wiggled in his boyfriend’s strong arms.

“Hey! You’re sweaty too! We can be sweaty together?”

“That’s gross.”

“And I’m okay with that.”

“And I’m not.” Jeonghan poked his bottom lip out and widened his eyes to fix his reflected gaze on the man behind him.

Although their break began five minutes ago, Jeonghan had continued practicing in the mirror for his solo dance in the intro for _Don’t Wanna Cry_. He really didn’t want to mess it up and despite his gelatin legs and heavy eyelids, he pushed himself to perfect each angle and shape of the choreography. Seungcheol, watching closely, saw his tired expression and wanted to coax Jeonghan into relaxing some before they had to start all over again. Coming up behind him, he wrapped his arms around Jeonghan’s chest, effectively stopping him from moving—from pushing himself further into fatigue. They had a long night ahead and he knew his angel had already expended much more of his stamina than was readily available.

So here they were, Seungcheol nuzzling his sweaty face into Jeonghan’s sweaty shoulder with thick arms holding him tightly to his sweaty chest in what may have been the cutest back-hug ever… well if not for the sweat.

 

**_Gross._ **

 

And although Jeonghan’s shirt stuck to himself with his own perspiration, the addition of Seungcheol’s made him cringe. He should be used to it, one would think. Seungcheol typically liked to lean on him after long days and even longer nights. He typically didn’t mind, but he could feel the accumulated moisture pool at the dip in his lower back. He was oddly irritated at his persistence.

He stared at Seungcheol through the mirror and intentionally lowered his head, widened his eyes, and extended his lower lip to guilt Seungcheol into releasing him. Jeonghan just _knew_ it would work. Even if his boyfriend was only looking at the reflection of him, he wouldn’t be able to resist his pouty face.

But Seungcheol knew his boyfriend. The infamous look would have his knees go weak and putty in Jeonghan’s hands. So he buried his face back in the crook of his neck so he couldn’t see.

_But two can play dirty._

Jeonghan geared up his mental, knowing it would come back to bite him later, and sunk his teeth deep within the forearm holding him captive. Seungcheol made a loud yelp and quickly withdrew his arms. He stared at the red teeth marks and felt the throbbing, stinging pain already taking over.

“You bit me!”

It was obvious enough that he had, but Seungcheol was so in shock, all he could manage was a wide-eyed gawk at his _angel_.

“Break’s almost over. You should round everyone up.” Jeonghan grinned with that devilish smile and Seungcheol frowned with a mopey look. Quickly, Jeonghan pressed his lips against Seungcheol’s, kissing his frown away.

His arm didn’t seem to hurt as much anymore.

* * *

 

_Somewhere not too far away…_

 

“Stop.”

…

“Stop that.”

…

“Soonyoung, I swear.”

 

**_Three strikes, you’re out!_ **

 

“Ow! Ow ow ow. Okay. Okay!” Soonyoung shouted when he’d been caught in a tight headlock.

“I warned you, did I not?”

“Yes. Okay, okay.”

Jihoon finally let up, releasing Soonyoung from his deathly grip. He picked his phone back up from its fallen position in his cross legged lap and continued swiping through his feed like nothing had ever happened. Soonyoung let out a defeated sigh.

During the same ten minute break, this couple was occupied within their own little world.

Others sat around catching their breath and sipping cool water. Jihoon specifically sat with his back against the steamy mirror, condensation dripping down the glass like the collective drops from a showerhead.

Jihoon was scrolling through his cell phone. Soonyoung sat beside him trying to force some ounce of attention from him. Whatever was on that screen must have been ten times more interesting though. From nestling, to poking, to pinching, nothing seemed to work. Well it worked to an extent if you consider being choked from a headlock as any form of accomplishment. He wasn’t expecting much as Jihoon wasn’t all too keen on showing skinship in front of the others, but he thought he’d at least try. He just didn’t know that trying came with so much pain. He rubbed his neck where it was still sore from the pressure of the arm wrapped around it.

If Soonyoung had been paying close enough attention, he would have noticed the sides of Jihoon’s lips curling up in a very _very_ small smile.

“Wrap it up guys. We have one more minute until we run from the top.” Seungcheol was met with various groans and couldn’t help but smile at his members. Jihoon let out a cute little yawn, stretching up over his head. Soonyoung’s eyes lingered to his exposed abdomen and debated if it was worth trying to touch. Three strikes was bad. He wondered what four would get him. His pout was eventually acknowledged because Jihoon could literally _feel_ his stare.

 

“What?” Jihoon asked.

“Can I at least get a kiss?” Soonyoung asked absently, still focused on the smooth sliver of skin he could see.

“Nope.” Jihoon snorted and was up before he could even protest. But of course, he wasn’t too cruel. Scanning the room, he made sure no one was looking then shyly puckered his lips and sent an air kiss in Soonyoung’s direction. He turned his back and went about his stretching again, cheeks tinging with a light rose that he could pass off as a sign of exertion from the rehearsal.

Even after being brutally ignored, that simple little action made Soonyoung’s heart flutter and eyes scrunch up in joy.

* * *

 

"Hey. Watch this—Jihoonie!" hushed conversation turned into a loud shout that traveled across the room. It bounced off the walls and resonated throughout the studio, but it only caught the attention of one person.

Jihoon looked up lazily, barely turning his head in the direction of the voice. His eyes were narrowed and questioned if Soonyoung's call was worth the time. It was a look that held challenge.

"Why not come over here and cuddle with me instead?" The boy at question managed a scoff and turned his head back into the comfort of a broad shoulder that _wasn’t_ Soonyoung’s. Jihoon had his thin arms wrapped around Jeonghan and his legs curled up to his side. His head lay snuggly in the dip of the older’s collar bone. Jeonghan had only made enough movement to adjust his head laying atop the other’s. His heavy eyes remained closed, soaking in every second of his short nap. They were a perfect painted image of a koala clinging on to a long eucalypt.

During this break, Soonyoung was on his way to go pester his boyfriend again, but stopped in his tracks when he realized he wasn’t alone. Jihoon. The stubborn boy who refused to even glance up from his phone to notice him was casually cuddled up to someone that wasn’t him. He was okay with this on any given day. All of their members were close. But, why was he so compliant in Jeonghan’s presence when he himself couldn’t even get a rouse out of the smaller boy? What was so much more alluring about Jeonghan that he didn’t have. Soonyoung was the one dating him after all!

He was spying on his boyfriend from across the room. The way they meld into one entity made his stomach churn. There was something pricking at his skin, a little green bug of jealousy taunting and biting at him. Soonyoung stomped over to Seungcheol who was idly sipping water from his chilled bottle.

In Soonyoung’s mind, Seungcheol was the root of his problem.  Or more like a branch that could lead to it. Jihoon was clinging to Jeonghan. Jeonghan was clinging back. Therefore Seungcheol, by default, was wrapped into this cacophonous mess. Seeing the position they were in, he couldn’t help but to be jealous and decided to point it out to Seungcheol as well.

 

"You see that? You see what I mean?" Soonyoung went back to whispering. "You need to do something with Jeonghan so I can have my Hoonie back."

 

Seungcheol rolled his eyes. He definitely saw what he meant. Jeonghan was pushing him away earlier too, but all of a sudden was friendly with Jihoon? He was just as sweaty, but his boyfriend didn’t seem to mind. And although he felt a slight irritation from the jealousy bug, what Soonyoung was suggesting was easier said than done. Forcing Jeonghan to do anything was like convincing the Earth to stop spinning.

 

Impossible.

And you looked a little crazy for even trying.

 

It was obvious that even though Jeonghan was a clingy hyung, he wasn't much of a clingy boyfriend.

_The children come first,_ he'd say and Seungcheol would then have to remind him that they weren't his actual kids. But that would push Jeonghan to go on a rant about how Seungcheol doesn’t respect the things he does as a parent (because he's convinced he is one) and that was an entirely different argument he wasn't willing to get in to.

 

"Why is it me that has to do something with Jeonghan? Why can't you do something with Jihoon?"

 

And the Earth halted for a split second.

 

Not because someone had asked, but out of respect. A moment of silence for the lost soul that attempted to tell Jihoon what to do. They both shivered at the idea. If Jeonghan was bad, Jihoon was worse with a bucket of chaos on the side.

"Then we really have no options, huh?" Soonyoung asked with a tight-lipped frown on his face. “We both just let them snuggle up like we don’t even exist.” Seungcheol couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked with his puffed out cheeks and small eyes, that longing gaze in the direction of his lover.

He _could_ try and talk to Jeonghan, but that would put his own relationship in jeopardy. Soonyoung _could_ try talking to Jihoon, but he probably wouldn't live to tell it. So he guessed, as his leader, hyung, and confidant, he'd failed the younger.

Unless...

Well, he'd seen it in several dramas he'd forced Jeonghan to watch with him.  Stereotypical character A convinces stereotypical character B to make stereotypical character C jealous. And in this case, C would compose of Jeonghan and Jihoon. If they were to somehow make the other two jealous, they would both get their respective boyfriends back. Seungcheol pondered over this before a mischievous, gummy smile stretched across his face.

"Ahh, don't worry Soonyoung-ah. Papa Coups has a plan."

 

_And sometimes Jeonghan had to remind Seungcheol that he wasn't an actual father either._

* * *

 

 

After their grueling rehearsal came to an end, everyone made it to the dorm, washing up and dressing down. Despite the excessive amount of energy it took, some vouched to watch a movie. The weaker hearted ones were already fast asleep.

They chose a rom-com that they'd all seen at least five times. The most reaction came in the form of half-hearted chuckles. Throughout the movie, it was clear that exhaustion was slowly seeping into their bodies. One by one, they started to drop. Many of the members dozed off towards the end—Jeonghan and Jihoon being two of them. They were in a cozy position with the shorter's head on Jeonghan’s shoulder. Jihoon had his arms wrapped tightly around one of Jeonghan's and his legs dangled off the edge of the couch, toes barely grazing the floor. They both were barely awake, eyes slowly succumbing to the will of gravity. It would have been a precious little scene, had it not been for the two grouchy boyfriends grumbling from across the room.

 

"So when do we do it?” Soonyoung whispered to his left although his squinted eyes remained sharp on his target.

"The movie will be over soon so we can set up now."

 

And with that Seungcheol and Soonyoung slipped away to the bedroom of four. Soonyoung moved a little too dramatically (channeling his inner spy once again) and nearly tripped over some discarded t-shirt but caught himself before he drew any real attention. No one would have noticed anyway, but he liked to entertain the thought.

 

Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jihoon, and Mingyu shared a room. Mingyu was fast asleep in his bed already practically dead to the world.

Seungcheol and Soonyoung set their plan up, excitedly. When the movie ended Jeonghan and Jihoon would come to bed and be surprised to see that their significant others were cuddling each other. The concept for the scene was an intimate, pillow talk kind of feel. The one where they were dangerously close to one another, breathing in each other’s words. One would whisper something while the other laughed breathily. If this didn’t grab their attention, Seungcheol wasn’t sure what would.

Snuggled together, arms entangling each other like some scandalous scene from a movie, the duo was ready. So they waited impatiently and giddily for the couple to make their grand entrance.

 

…But things didn’t necessarily go as planned.

 

"Hyung wait." Soonyoung giggled, shifting around.

"What?"

“I’m really ticklish there!” He laughed louder as Seungcheol’s arms remained around his midsection.

“Soonyoung! I’m not even doing anything.”

“Ahh! But it tickles!” He kept squirming around despite Seungcheol’s attempt to keep him still. Seungcheol couldn’t help but groan as the boy in his arms wiggled around, spewing loud, youthful laughs.

They almost didn’t notice the door as it suddenly opened.

_Cue jealousy inducing cuddle time._

Seungcheol held his arms tighter and tried to throw on his biggest sultry-like expression. In his mind, he was the apple that lured Eve to take a bite, but in reality Jeonghan thought he looked goofy. It was even more difficult to keep a straight face as Soonyoung would not stop wiggling around and laughing, complaining that his sides were aching.

What was supposed to happen, didn’t happen. They’d initially expected a flurry of anger as the two would forcibly separate them like he’d seen acted out so many times before. They’d be pulled to their respective partners to cuddle with them instead. Another outcome Seungcheol considered was that Jeonghan or Jihoon would feign mad until they could sweet talk the jealousy away. Maybe they’d even join in on the tickle fest because they felt left out of the fun. But what they got instead…

“Aww! How cute.” Jeonghan cooed to the duo. “Let’s go to bed, Hoonie. I’m tired.” He yawned and led the shorter boy to his bed.

And just like that, their hopes were crushed. It was like they had no effect on the duo whatsoever.

Cute? They weren’t supposed to find it cute! This was supposed to ignite some form of reaction that would allow them to realize what they were missing out on. But all they got was a measly cute. In all the shows he’d watched, this could be a means for war (little did he know…).

_If Soonyoung would have played the part better and not been so… adorable_ , Seungcheol thought.

So much for making them jealous. Soonyoung quieted down quickly after that. The tickling sensation he once felt was no more than a dull tingle and the aching felt more prominent than ever. Jihoon wasn’t angrily demanding his attention. Jihoon wasn’t even acknowledging him at all.

 

“Goodnight.” Jeonghan mumbled out, already halfway asleep. “Oh, and Seungcheol?”

 

Fireworks went off in the eldest’s head. Maybe they _had_ made an impact and Jeonghan was ready to give Seungcheol a piece of his mind. It wasn’t the most sought after reaction, but some reaction is better than none. Although Jihoon may not have caved, his Hannie sure would. Right?

 

“Yes?” Seungcheol asked hopeful. He sat up quickly, ready to trade bed partners.

“Could you turn off the light for me?”

_Oh._

_That’s it?_

At least he was in a better position than Soonyoung. Jihoon hadn’t so much as looked in his direction.

Well so much for that.

Better luck next time.

* * *

 

Soonyoung was sulking the next day, sucking out every bit of energy with him. With the BooSeokSoon trio missing a foundational pillar, the following rehearsal seemed a lot heavier and a lot less bearable. Plus, Soonyoung's strict choreographer mode had been activated. What a scary sight to be seen.

Seungcheol even had to pull him aside during one of the breaks to convince him to at least crack a smile. He'd been honest in letting him know that he was weighing down everyone else with his hostility, to which Soonyoung pettily replied, “ _You don't force Jihoon to smile”_. But regardless, Soonyoung tried to put his best foot forward and didn't yell at Chan this time when he messed up the choreography.

 

Another exhausting day of rehearsal came to an end and everyone was too tired to attempt cooking so they went out for food. At some local, low-key restaurant, their table arrangements were at random, but because of the ever reigning string of fate, the foursome found themselves sitting across from each other—Soonyoung in front of Jihoon and Seungcheol in front of Jeonghan.

Whether they were playing dumb, or were actually dumb, one couldn't tell, but Jeonghan and Jihoon seemed entirely oblivious to the tension that had formed.

Jeonghan intuitively started stacking things into Jihoon's bowl. Not once did he offer Seungcheol any of the food which typically wouldn't be a problem, but given their circumstances it sparked something deep within his boyfriend. Seungcheol’s competitive side kicked in full force. It was natural that Jeonghan would feed the other members. Hell, he'd done it several times before, but this time was different.

Seungcheol took his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of chicken, holding it up to Soonyoung's lips. Soonyoung didn't have time to react so awkwardly tried to bite it off, but missed and ended up with a lap full of barbecue.

From the other side of the table, they could hear their snickers.

"Maybe next time try putting the food in your mouth. I think it tastes better that way." Jihoon laughed noisily, falling into Jeonghan's side.

The interaction only made him angrier.

Soonyoung decided to return the favor just to prove to Jihoon that he could be just as affectionate. Picking up the first thing he saw, he immediately shoved his chopsticks into Seungcheol's face. "Open up!" he tried to coo, but it came out more like an estranged grimace, a growl somewhere hidden in the back of his throat.

Seungcheol's eyes widened at recognition. He opened his mouth to protest, but Soonyoung saw that as his cue to shove the food into the awaiting cavern.

Jeonghan winced, Soonyoung scrunched his brow up in confusion, and Seungcheol did all he could not to cry. He chewed cautiously, taking deep inhales every few seconds then gulped down whatever dish it was.

"The chili paste is really strong today, Seungcheol. You shouldn't eat spicy stuff if you can't handle it." Jeonghan tsked and shook his head at the scene.

Seungcheol tried. He tried _really_ hard to mask what was going on inside his head—inside his mouth in particular. The tangy flavor hit his tongue with the force of a rhinoceros stampeding through a savanna. Every single taste bud in his mouth felt like they sprouted their own mini fires, blazing and scorching his tongue. Each time he breathed in, the cool air hitting those fires made them grow even hotter. His red lips were stained with sauce and throbbed with a pulsing kind of heat that wouldn’t go away. He looked like a fish out of water, gasping for some type of liquid to put the forest fire out.

Soonyoung suddenly felt very guilty. He hadn't even checked what he was feeding Seungcheol. His mind was so clouded with jealousy, he grabbed the first thing he could reach and ironically it had to be the one thing the other couldn’t tolerate. He was going to hear about this later.

Better luck next time.

* * *

 

“I don’t get it! I tried talking to him earlier, but he wouldn’t even give me the time of day! I feel like I—I should be the one angry, but instead I’m the one getting the silent treatment. How is that fair?” Soonyoung shouted, kicking at someone’s dirtied pants left in the floor.

 

_Their little “game” had gone too far when they’d had some free time amongst themselves later that week. Soonyoung could pinpoint where everyone was except Jihoon and Jeonghan. Seungcheol, the concerned ~~parent~~ leader he was, called them both several times. He swore if he heard “you’ve reached the automatic voicemail of...” one more time, he’d go out and snap their necks himself._

_But minutes later, they showed up together with half empty cups of boba tea and sleek shopping bags. It took Seungcheol all he could to subdue Soonyoung’s anger, but it was difficult when his own emotions bubbled like a stew from cauldron over a great fire._

_Seungcheol grabbed Soonyoung’s arm and pulled him into his room._

_They both needed to calm down._

 

“I know it’s frustrating, but you gotta stay calm. If you blow up in front of everyone, it’s going to look bad.” Seungcheol tried to reason, but he could feel the hurt within himself too. It was one thing for the duo to be all close to one another, but it was another thing when they were blatantly ignoring their respective partners. Jeonghan had been unusually distant over the past few days. Not necessarily rejecting him, but not seeking him out either. He understood Soonyoung’s frustration well.

“This is so stupid. I feel like I’m dating you more than my own boyfriend.” Soonyoung moaned, plopping himself on a bed. Seungcheol fell beside him, a similar downcast expression on his face.

“Same.” What’s worse is neither of them really knew what to do. It wasn’t like they’d done anything to provoke the odd behavior. Or if they had, there was no recollection of it. They both sat in silence letting the steam boil off.

* * *

 

The room was too quiet. The air too still. Everyone in the group knew there was some kind of problem, but no one dared speak up about it.

Except for the third oldest.

The mediator.

“I think it’s time you give up on this game you’re playing. It isn’t just affecting you and your little bubble, it’s leaving a toll on the rest of us as well. Chan still hasn’t recovered since Soonyoung yelled at him at rehearsal the other day… And eating together is awkward now.” Joshua continued with his no nonsense tone. “You two need to go talk it out before someone’s feelings get seriously hurt.”

“I think you’re right.” Joshua was always right. The voice of reason in all things, especially when the two eldest weren’t being responsible enough to diffuse the problem themselves (and even more when they’re the ones causing it).

“I know I’m right.”

Jeonghan sighed. Of course he was aware of his boyfriend and dongsaeng’s attempts to make him jealous. He’d been aware from the first second he noticed the two idiots conspiring while everyone else was busy watching the movie. He wasn’t quick to admit it, but couldn’t help but feel that small pang of betrayal when he’d found the duo cuddling in Seungcheol’s bed. Soonyoung was in _his_ cuddle spot. So to be petty like the bitter boyfriend he was, he pulled Jihoon into his trap. Jihoon seemed to catch on rather quickly and before they knew it, they were in a silent battle of who could make the other more jealous.

 

Today, they were going to call it quits. Jeonghan hauled his clingy koala out of bed and they had been shopping all day for the perfect “couple” items (despite Jihoon’s protest against it). Jeonghan thought it’d be funny to not answer their calls either. They’d be more surprised that way. But, his plan had proven to be a little more reckless than he’d thought.  Suddenly, it wasn’t as funny anymore.

 

It took a lot to admit when he felt guilty and this seemed to be the perfect occasion. Jihoon could say that he might have enjoyed toying with Soonyoung a little too much. He missed his persistent prodding, however annoying it may be. He missed how Soonyoung would linger and how he’d sneak in kisses to his cheek when no one else was looking (because he knew that Jihoon would die from embarrassment if the others saw). It always seemed as if Jihoon tolerated Soonyoung, when in reality Soonyoung tolerated Jihoon. He didn’t have to stick around and shower him with undying affections despite Jihoon always pushing him away… but he did.

* * *

 

Jeonghan peeked through the crack in the door, knocking lightly. “May I come in?”

“You’re already in.” Seungcheol grunted, not looking up.

_Yikes._

 

“Can we talk?” Jihoon asked, looking down.

“So now you wanna talk?” Soonyoung crossed his arms.

 

_This was going to be harder than they thought._

 

“Well first… I wanted to say sorry for… this.” Jeonghan gestured between the four of them, looking incredibly awkward. He drug his bottom lip in between his teeth before taking a deep, relaxing breath and making eye contact with Seungcheol. “I kind of got carried away with this whole… jealousy drama. I didn’t mean for it to go this far and not talking it out earlier was a bad decision on my part. And I kind of roped Jihoon into it too.” Jeonghan admitted sheepishly.

Jihoon nodded by his side. “Yeah. I was really just following what Jeong—” The aforementioned person shot him a razor sharp glare with pointed eyes. Jihoon quickly changed courses “…I should also take some of the blame. I know how you don’t like being ignored and I kind of took advantage of it. I’m… sorry.” He found it really difficult to look his boyfriend in the eyes, but when he did, his heart stuttered at the sight. Wide pools of shock and sincerity made Jihoon’s heart thrum furiously, pounding in his chest like a snare drum. He wouldn’t be able to come up with an excuse for his blush this time.

It was hard to place the feeling, but the confession was similar to two children being scrutinized for stealing cookies or breaking a familial heirloom passed throughout generations. It was an exposing feeling. One that made them feel open and raw and very _very_ sorry.

All because of a stupid little game.

A long silence passed by as Seungcheol sat with a quirked brow and arms crossed haughtily over his chest. Soonyoung looked more surprised than anything. Like the very fact that Jihoon or Jeonghan put away their pride and apologized so vulnerably was a miracle within itself. Their group was big on apologies and reconciling because of small arguments, but this was the first time there was any disagreement between couples, not as bandmates. It felt different somehow.

“I’m sorry too…” Seungcheol finally spoke up, a heavy sigh escaping his red lips. “It was kind of my idea to try and get you riled up in the first place.”

“Me too. I may have overreacted when I saw you two at rehearsal the other day. It’s just…” Soonyoung steeled himself to continue, “I just… You let Jeonghan be sweet and affectionate with you, but the same day, you wouldn’t even talk to me. I just kind of felt… I don’t know… I mean, it hurt.”

If Jihoon could feel any worse, it was now. Even though he cared so deeply for the other, it was hard to admit that he was still nervous around him in their relationship. They’d always gotten along well, but that was before they were dating. He still got butterflies. He still felt his cheeks flush. It was like he was still in the beginning stages of a crush and the feeling made him mushy and strange and… different.

“I didn’t mean to. I— won’t push you away anymore. I kind of missed your presence anyway.” Jihoon laughed quietly, playing with his fingers and looking down. Soonyoung thought it was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. He couldn’t help but run over to the shorter boy and scoop him into his arms. This time Jihoon didn’t protest. He may have even hugged back.

 

Jeonghan looked at Seungcheol expectantly.

Seungcheol looked at Jeonghan expectantly.

One of them had to cave, but this time it wasn’t Seungcheol.

 

Jeonghan trudged over to him and plopped himself directly onto his lap, wrapping delicate arms around his neck. Instantly, Seungcheol brought his own arms to rest upon his hips. Instead of immediately speaking, the younger of the two decided to hide his face in his boyfriend’s shoulder. It would be a lot less embarrassing admitting defeat if Seungcheol couldn’t see him do it. So mumbling into his shoulder, Jeonghan conceded.

“I misshed your uuggs.”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.” Seungcheol wanted to milk this.

“I miphed your huggss.” Jeonghan mumbled a little louder.

“Hannie. Maybe if you—”

“I missed your hugs! Your stupid, annoying, fulfilling hugs.” Jeonghan shot up, face as red as a piping hot flame.

“Even the sweaty ones?” Seungcheol grinned.

“Even the sweaty ones.” He grumbled, rolling his eyes, but the ever widening smile was inevitable.

Seungcheol was smitten.

 

“Oh! I almost forgot!” Jeonghan ran over to the door where they dropped their discarded shopping bags. He snagged the one he’d been holding earlier and pulled out matching bracelets, showing them off to his boyfriend. “This is why we were out all day.” He handed Seungcheol his then went over to the other bag. “And Hoonie picked you out something too.” He gave Soonyoung the shopping bag as Jihoon tried to hide his expression.

“Aw! You shouldn’t have.” Soonyoung cooed to his boyfriend once seeing the matching hoodie and t-shirt combination.

_I tried really hard not to,_ Jihoon thought but was still grateful Jeonghan convinced him to get it anyway. Soonyoung seemed happy and that was enough for him. He needily pulled him down to his height, puckering his lips for a kiss.

 

There was a knock at the door.

 

“Did you kiss and make up?” Jisoo called from the other side.

“No. But we were about to!” And before Jihoon could scold his boyfriend, his breath was stolen by a cherry sweet kiss.

 

And even through excessive poking or sweaty embraces, despite trivial jealousy and fueled up anger, there was love. They were hanging in the boughs of trust and understanding, where two seedlings had bloomed into great pines, rooting themselves in longevity and intertwining so divinely. These were the types of couples who remained strong even through hardships. And instead of wishing for better luck next time, they knew they wouldn’t need it.

Why wish on luck when they had each other?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments, Kudos, Hugs much appreciated.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr @eottoghe  
> :D


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